Wishu, the social marketplace for creative freelancers, has launched its app across the UK. Wishu is the one of the first social marketplace app that allows transactions between creative freelancers and businesses or individuals in need of their services to be booked and paid for through the app.
Creative talents using Wishu can now manage all of the administrative side of their work in one app in a streamlined manner. This includes promoting their work, managing bookings, and handling payments and invoices.
Wishu enables creative freelancers to spend more time developing creatively and honing their skills, with the app taking care of time-consuming day-to-day practicalities.
The social network aspect of Wishu also allows these creative talents to build their portfolio, develop ongoing relationships with clients, attract requests and bookings, and apply for on-demand jobs posted near them.
Those who are booking creative talents through Wishu benefit from the platform’s simplicity and ease of use. They can select from thousands of curated talents and book them in a single click. They can also post on-demand requests which creative freelancers can then apply to fulfil.
As a result of this direct contact and flexibility, the cost of hiring talent is lower than through the more traditional freelancer agencies. ID verification and user reviews ensure full transparency and payments are handled within the app.
Co-founded by three young entrepreneurs – Lavena Xu, CEO, James Johnson, CTO and Hubert Trinkunas, Head of Community – Wishu now has a community of over 6,000 creative talents and has attracted a total investment of £450k to date. Senior figures from Y-Combinator, TechStars, and MoMo are onboard, and Daniel Evans, formerly Head of Product at fashion social marketplace Depop, has joined the team as Head of Product.
Lavena Xu, Co-founder and CEO, said: “The upcoming generation of creatives are increasingly gravitating towards freelancing and a DIY model of building their careers.
“But they are not receiving the support they need – young creative talents are still spending too much time and energy on the day-to-day tasks of managing their work. Now there is a tool that does the heavy lifting for them in terms of finding work and getting paid.”
There are now 162 million people across Europe and the US freelancing or taking part in the gig economy. With Generation Z poised to represent 75% of the workforce by 2030, Wishu aims to provide a service that streamlines the business processes and tackles the pain points typical of that sector for the workforce of the future.
The Wishu app is available in the App store and is expected to become available on AndroidTM in early 2020.